At 04:59 AM 10/3/2009, Max Wellhouse wrote:
>the removing of the speedometer needle.  Just don't wanna break it

I want to stress that unless you have finger control way beyond most
of us, it's vital to use a twin-ended tool or two opposed tools to
remove the hand(s) from any dial, clock or otherwise.  Absent a fancy
clock-hand remover, the best way is with two opposed tools having
strong lever action, like the spoons mentioned earlier.  This keeps
everything under control and avoids putting bending stress on the
socket and on the spindle (which is usually hardened, and hence very
brittle).  I learned this lesson in blood in my youth, getting IC
chips embedded in my thumb or first finger, depending which end
lifted out of the socket easier -- dial pointers are a much less
forgiving environment than ICs.

Yrs,
d